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Jobs in occupational therapy – crucial to the NHS

Feb 16th, 2011
by Anna.
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Allied health jobs are the positions that are distinct from other major categories in the NHS. Aside from medicine, nursing and dentistry, there are numerous other specialised roles that contribute in crucial ways to the process of diagnosing, treating and supporting patients, as well as providing services like technical support. Therefore if you are looking for jobs in occupational therapy or jobs in radiography – as well as many other roles such as ultrasound technician, paramedic or massage therapist – this is the category you will need to look under to find what you want.

Such jobs vary in their training requirements, of course – they can’t all be pushed into a one-size-fits-all mould. Many have their own special training paths that do not necessarily intersect with medicine – for example, a music therapist would not expect to share a great deal of lecture time with an anaesthetist. Nevertheless, all of these roles play a vital part in the running of the health service. It’s also worth noting that not all countries have the same requirements for training, so the qualifications you receive in England may not be instantly transferable elsewhere – check if you’re in any doubt.

Allied health jobs actually account for a surprisingly high proportion of all health service jobs – something in the region of 60 percent. This is hardly surprising, when you think about it, but many of these jobs are behind-the-scenes roles, and if you have never had an x-ray or required physical therapy, you are unlikely to think of those individuals when you consider the NHS. Our first and often only contact is with a doctor or nurse. It is only when we become part of the health system – either as a patient or an employee – that we start to realise there is much more to it than that.

Allied health jobs therefore encompass a whole range of careers – jobs in occupational therapy and jobs in radiography being two common ones people look for. The sector comprises well over half of all NHS roles, and can easily be overlooked when you are thinking about your next career move. If you have thought about a career in the healthcare sector but have discounted it due to lack of specific qualifications or training, it might be worth checking again – there is plenty here, and a vast breadth of roles to explore.

Please visit http://www.abouthealthprofessionals.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.abouthealthprofessionals.co.uk/

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Posted in: Human Resources.

A short term loan is easy to find

Jan 10th, 2011
by Tony.
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Sometimes the wish for a little bit of money to tide one over until the next pay cheque becomes more than just a matter of convenience, and an absolute necessity. There could be numerous reasons for this, such as sudden, unforeseen, but vitally important purchases having to be made. In such a situation a cash advance before the arrival of your next pay cheque can be very helpful. Loan sharks are, of course, to be avoided, but a short term loan from a reputable business does have benefits. One the biggest benefits is that lots of these loan companies provide instant loan approval, meaning that if your need for a loan is exceptionally urgent you will very swiftly get a decision regarding your application.

If you need to borrow money often in order to manage your finances each month then a loan for a short period is probably not the soundest solution for you. There are numerous other solutions you could try in that case, ranging from a full reassessment of your financial situation to a longer term loan for a larger amount, which might have a lower rate of interest.

Short term loans can also be very useful if you have a below average credit rating, because companies frequently decide not to check your credit rating before making a decision on whether or not to lend to you. They will need certain personal information such as the details of your bank account and your home address, but the first time you use them they will only lend you a small amount of money, so they do not usually check your credit rating. It is highly important to remember, however, that if you do not repay the total you owe (including interest) within the agreed time frame your credit rating will be damaged for the future, even if you have only borrowed a very small bit of money.

The instant loan approval that these short term loan firms provide is very useful because it is more than likely that you need the loan because of an urgent problem. Finding a cash advance to tide you over until funds are available to you can help occasionally, but you should always be aware of your obligations to repay the money. Debt is to be avoided as much as possible, but if, say, you are unable or unwilling to borrow from friends and family, or if the interest you will pay on a short term loan is less than the amount you will be required to pay elsewhere, then such a loan may prove useful.

Please visit http://www.cashgenieloans.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.cashgenieloans.co.uk/

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Posted in: Loans, Personal Finance.

Brise soleil – good looks and practicality go hand in hand

Dec 29th, 2010
by Louise.
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As awareness of environmentally sound architecture increases and government regulations surrounding the energy efficiency of buildings become increasingly tight, many architectural features such as the brise soleil and external louvres have become commonplace, even if many people are unaware of their function. Many may assume that the aluminium curtains, glass louvres and sails which are increasingly an element of modern buildings, are just a design feature whereas their impact is far more than just decorative.

Given the popularity of programmes such as Grand Designs, the concept of passive solar heating and the use of better insulation to reduce heating costs is now fairly familiar. However, the opposite effect, passive cooling, is rarely considered, even though it is a technique which was used by the Ancient Egyptians! Less thought is also given, outside design circles at least, to maximising the use of natural light in new buildings, thus reducing electrical costs. Solutions that work with the sun to provide maximum natural lighting without glare and overheating are also still a fairly new concept.

However, the weird metal protrusions that stick out of many new buildings these days looking for all the world like an over-sized set of IKEA kitchen shelves can help with both cooling and lighting issues and many other more discreet design features, such as glass louvres, are also providing more than just a decorative function.

The term ‘brise soleil’ which, roughly translated from the French means ‘sun break’, refers in architectural circles to any permanent external structure which helps to stop the sun shining directly into a building. Some avant-garde architects have even built such a function into the main fabric of the building, such as Le Corbusier who created distinctive simply patterned concrete walls. More commonly, a structure made of a different material is used, such as steel or aluminium louvres. These can be angled to allow a building with a large glass façade to be protected from overheating during the summer when the sun is at a higher angle while maximising the intake of light and warmth from the sun during the winter months when the light comes in  from a much lower angle.

The best firms are able to create detailed analyses of either existing buildings or the plans for new projects. These map out the angle of the sun during different seasons of the year and make proposals based on these calculations for appropriate sun-shading. Maple Sunscreening, for example, is a company which regularly advises architects and engineers on how to use features such as brise soleils and glass louvres to meet standards for CO2 emissions and combines advice on internal sun-screening with suggestions for outdoor screening such as external louvres to create an overall scheme which maximises long term reductions in the final building’s energy costs.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

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Posted in: Construction, Sun Protection.

Phono stage is needed for good LP sound reproduction

Dec 26th, 2010
by Louise.
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For the committed audiophile, especially those dedicated to listening to recordings of early 20th century musicians whose recordings may only be available on vinyl, the shiny silver micro CD system in the corner of most modern living-rooms, possibly purchased at an out of town supermarket, is an abomination. Suggesting they listen to CDs on an audio system without phono amp or phono preamp, is like asking Raymond Blanc to subsist on a diet of Pot Noodles. In pursuit of the perfect, most authentic sound, these connoisseurs will spend much time and money on the perfect phono stage while the rest of the world looks on perplexed at their use of a so-called obsolete technology.

Although today only a minority of people under the age of thirty will have bought a record in their time, the ability to record and reproduce sound was so revolutionary that they remained in popular use in one form or another across an entire century from the 1890s right up to the early 1990s.  Once cheap CD players became as affordable as turntables, digital music reproduction became king, but the enthusiasm of those dedicated to ‘real’ music recordings is such that the technology behind and the market for turntables, phono stages and cartridges continues to develop at the top end of the audio system market.

Indeed, many purists continue to use vinyl only, arguing that digital music systems – CDs, and MP3 downloads – give a clinical and processed sound that is inferior to the records of yesteryear. Others may want to continue listening to their record collection without shelling out large amounts of money to purchase duplicates in digital format – and, in any case, many records may simply not be available on CD. The evolution of music storage has also seen an evolution in marketing and corporate strategy, and smaller parties are not economically worth updating. Consequently, vinyl editions of these artists are unique and irreplaceable.

This does not mean that vinyl cannot be combined with state-of-the-art modern sound equipment, though. You can have the best of both worlds, linking your turntable to amplifier and speakers via a phono stage. The job of a phono pre-amp is to amplify the signal from your turntable to make it useful to the main amp; thus a phono amp is an indispensable part of listening to your old LPs on modern equipment, helping to keep the past alive without sanitising it with the vagaries of the new digital technology.

Please visit http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/

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Posted in: Audio Visual, Entertainment Systems.

Social worker jobs have changed massively in the last 40 years

Dec 20th, 2010
by Anna.
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Social work jobs are tough and intense at the best of times, leaving hardly any room for consideration of the past, and thereby getting more perspective on the present. However, Brian Dimmock, a principle lecturer in social work at the university of Gloucester, has finished a project to change that. Recently the Guardian reported on his project to compile more than 50 face-to-face interviews with different people in all types of social worker jobs. The interviewees range from very young workers at the beginning of their careers to older people, who have been in social services jobs for over 40 years; from students in their first jobs, to managers.

The interviews also involve a range of workers from various regions of the country. Dimmock’s research took more than four years, and the interviews are unedited, ranging from 20 to 50 minutes long. The main purposes for carrying out this project seem to be to gauge the mood, or level of job satisfaction, amongst social workers, and to see how they think about their own profession. Also, the aim was to test whether progress is being made in social work according to the workers, and to see what has changed in 40 years of social work.

One of the conclusions is that people find that the rise of the management culture can sometimes be frustrating, since it is perceived to result in a reduction in face-to-face time with the people they are supposed to be able to help. This is accompanied with frustration at a greater level of bureaucracy: the amount of risk assessments, incident forms and other types of paperwork has augmented ever more over the past 40 years. However, there were positives to come from the interviews.

The most noteworthy of the findings, according to Dimmock, has been that people in social worker jobs have continued to be so positive about their professions, despite the many obstacles that they face. The profession does seem to suffer from a perception that, to begin with, one starts off idealistic, and ends up becoming ‘world weary’ as a result of the frustration of not being able to make as much of a change for good as one had hoped. However, this does not seem to be the case, judging by the people in social work jobs interviewed in Dimmock’s videos. Social services jobs still seem to attract people who are motivated to make a tangible difference to people’s lives, and often as a result of their own life experiences.

Please visit http://www.socialworkandcarejobs.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.socialworkandcarejobs.com/

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Posted in: Community, Employment, Jobs.

Business proposal writing: a vital skill in the modern world

Dec 9th, 2010
by Anna.
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business proposal writing is all about understanding the mindset of the company.  Many consultants think that they can write an effective proposal if they know a lot about the bid, but many people make the mistake of failing to give sufficient consideration to the client’s position.  If this is the case in your business, you may find that some expert bid support will give your business a real boost.  Similarly, many sales teams approach their presentations in the same way they have for years, and some small changes in their strategy might really show up in sales figures.  It can be tricky for teams to reinvent their strategies at the drop of a hat, and therefore a little sales presentation training might be just the thing you need.

Business proposal writing can be a stressful business; with hugely lucrative contracts at stake, the content of a business proposal might be the most important thing you write in a year.  If your entire team’s job security is dependent on the quality of your presentation, it certainly seems worth taking some advice on how to write a bid.  Perhaps the most important element of any bid is clarity, as clients who receive a large number of submissions will have limited time in which to take in several documents.  If you can help them by summarising the content of your document in 2-3 sentences at the beginning, your proposal will certainly have a head start.  This enables you to highlight the key strengths of your presentation at the outset, so that the reader knows what to look out for.  Nobody likes having to read a document more than once before they fully grasp what the writer is trying to convey, and by inserting a clear summary at the start, you can ensure that your document will not demand this kind of attention.

It is also a very good idea to include visual elements in your presentation as much as possible.  Logos, images, charts and graphs will greatly enhance the appeal of your document and make it much easier for the reader to understand.  Ploughing through pages of written text is not always conducive to engaging the reader and ensuring that they remember your proposal over the many others they have to read.

The best written proposal can fall flat if it is poorly delivered, which is why sales presentation training can be an extremely valuable investment.  If your business proposal writing is streamlined and your presentation style is original and effective, you should have few problems in securing the contracts that will make you the envy of your colleagues. Once start seeing the positive results, you may end up thinking that paying for bid support is priceless.

Please visit http://www.salesengine.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.salesengine.co.uk/

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Posted in: Business, Sales.

Document management systems are becoming more popular

Dec 7th, 2010
by Louise.
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Nowadays the importance of caring for the environment is the subject of a great number of extremely high-profile campaigns. document management and document processing are already enormously popular ways to lower the amount of paper which your office gets through each year and as a result help to sustain the globe’s forests.  Invoice processing is another important tool which is becoming more and more indispensable in offices around the world. The benefits of these management and processing systems, however, are not limited to saving the environment or reducing your carbon footprint. These systems can streamline your business and save you money. It is no wonder that they are highly recommended by lots of office managers.

Some of the most important work that is done in an office is accomplished through team-working and collaboration. A proper document management system can make this aspect of working life much easier and speedier. Documents that would previously have been stored on paper can now be edited very simply by multiple users and stored for easy retrieval. This process can free-up office space and allow staff to work more productively. It can also increase office morale because staff members feel their time is valued highly by their employer.

Invoice processing is increasingly used by top companies to coordinate their payments. This type of system uses intelligent data capture software to significantly speed up the processing of invoices. This is normally a time-consuming and boring job. Scanning invoices into a processing system allows them to be speedily distributed to the relevant member of the accounts department for approval. The shortened period of time in which invoices are processed enables businesses to improve their relationships with their suppliers and to take advantage of early-payment discounts.

This type of processing can also be useful for controlling and planning expenditure. It can help to remove human error from the payment process and security and auditing features can be added to the system. It frees up staff time to do more satisfying and interesting jobs to develop the business.

If your business isn’t currently using document processing or invoice processing systems they are well worth investigating. They can help to make your employees’ working days more productive, to reduce overheads and stationery costs, as well as helping to save the environment. document management systems are in use in many top businesses and have been for many years. They are simple and easy to use from the first and are a great way to improve a company’s efficiency and organisation.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.bottomline.co.uk/

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Posted in: Archiving, Business.

How school clothes can affect children’s behaviour

Nov 12th, 2010
by Tony.
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As the school summer holidays draw to a close, many mothers suddenly find they have a million and one things on their minds.  The kids have outgrown last year’s school uniforms, have no pencil cases and that letter about this year’s term dates must be here somewhere.  A London schoolwear supplier should not be too difficult to find, but it can be rather more difficult to find the particular supplier of uniforms for your children’s school.  Whether school clothes should be worn by all schoolchildren in the United Kingdom has been a matter of some debate, as will be given some thought in this article.

One of the main arguments for the wearingof school uniforms is that if pupils are all dressed in the same garments, it should be more difficult for any divisions among them to manifest themselves, and they should all start on an equal footing.  When students wear their own clothes, there can be a danger that those who cannot afford the most fashionable or branded clothes will feel inferior, and this can increase the possibility of bullying and arguments.

It may also be true that wearing a school uniform encourages children to take a more serious attitude towards the school day.  Just as adults tend to maintain a differentiation between their work and home clothes, the donning of a school uniform may encourage children to view school as a place for concentration and endeavour, in contrast to their home life, where they can wear whatever they want, and play rather than work.

Although school clothes can be expensive, it is likely to be cheaper to buy the uniform specified by the school than to dress your child in normal clothes every day.  One or two jumpers that can be worn for the school week are generally made to be hard wearing, and they are certainly cheaper than the designer clothes which parents often feel under pressure by their children to buy.

The most common objection to the wearing of school uniforms is that this inhibits the potential for students to express their own individuality, although it must be said that many observers of those in school clothes would note that most kids see to find the most ingenious ways to adapt their uniforms to express themselves in their own ways.  If a parent feels that school uniforms are a positive thing for their little ones, this might make trawling around for a London schoolwear supplier a rather more bearable task.

Please visit http://www.uniform4kids.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.uniform4kids.com/

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Posted in: Education, Schools.

Vulnerability management helps you feel secure about your internet system

Oct 21st, 2010
by Tony.
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It can be a bit of a bother checking that your IT system complies with information security standards as comprehensively as possible.  Surecloud has the aim of making the internet a low risk place for companies and organizations of all sizes, and as such, is a good website to look at if you are seeking penetration testing or vulnerability management.  As the internet is ever more vital to our corporate lives, online security should be very high on our list of objectives.  It should not be only bigger companies who enjoy protection, and this is why it is advisable to go for vulnerability assessment so that your security solution is relevant to your risk profile.
With vulnerability management, you can automate the management of your security system across your business, which provides you with network asset discovery, asset impact ratings, vulnerability detection, reporting and analysis, and remediation management.  It will also guarantee you immediate online access to security professionals who can help you with remediation issues.  There are a number of different options available in terms of managing your security.  You can opt for external scanning, to discover and manage vulnerabilities on your network perimeter, or if you would like to discover and manage vulnerabilities on your internal networks, you could choose internal scanning.  If it is your web applications you are concerned about, an App Scanner will allow you to identify and manage web application vulnerabilities.
It is important to make sure the provider of your protection has a large knowledge base which incorporates many different vulnerabilities and advisories.  Such information will be derived from industry sources such as the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list and the NIST National Vulnerability Database.
In terms of penetration, to ensure a comprehensive test, a holistic approach will ensure that all existing devices are included in the scope of the test.  This will include live devices that might not be currently used within your organisation’s daily business operations, to make sure all potential risks are highlighted.  The testing will mirror the behaviour of an actual hacking team, leveraging vulnerabilities discovered in one system to attack another, and adapting throughout the testing process.
If you are an IT manager trying to find a company to provide you with vulnerability management, it is certainly very important to ensure that the security provider you choose uses the most comprehensive approach possible.  Given the potential risks involved in internet security, it is worth spending time and money to ensure that your penetration testing and vulnerability testing are as effective as possible.

Please visit http://www.surecloud.com/ for further information about this topic.

Always Be Certain

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Posted in: Computer Systems, IT Security, Networks.

Cash genie can help you out if you are in financial difficulty

Oct 20th, 2010
by Anna.
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September means one thing for many young people around the country – freshers’ week.  The mad week of partying that integrates freshers into their new environments can be as much of a strain on the bank balance as it is on the liver.  Indeed, starting university necessitates some prudent  financial planning.  If you do encounter financial difficulties, a company such as Cash Genie will be able to supply  a short term loan for some immediate cash flow, but if you are living away from your parents, paying rent, and not earning, you certainly should start thinking carefully about how you are going to get by financially.

It can be hard to stay aware of exactly what your outgoings are, especially if you are spending a lot of your money at the pub.  A good way to deal with this is to keep a record of what you spend every day, as this should help you to plan your future outgoings and help you identify where you may be able to lower your spending.  It may sound geeky, but it will hardly take any time to make a chart on your computer where you note down where your money has gone over the last few hours or days, and this will certainly help you keep on top of where your money is going.

Many students are able to hold down jobs while they are away at university, but it is impossible to know until you are actually into your course what the demands will be on your time.  A course with only six hours of lectures a week may sound easy, but you will soon find that a lot of independent reading will be required – and only after a few weeks will you learn how long this takes.  At this point you will know how many hours a week you can commit to working.  If you can fit it around your studies, getting a part time job may be a great idea.  If you can make your own money while you are studying, you will have less financial stress, and it will also be a useful addition to your CV, illustrating that you can juggle academic commitments with outside activities, and that you have taken control of your own money.

It is not impossible to manage your finances while you are studying – most students do manage to get by without needing to call in the services of a Cash Genie. There are so many ways of saving money that it is up to you to make the most of them – there will probably not be another time in your life when so many things are so cheap!  They say your time at university should be the best days of your life, so don’t let money worries ruin it.  Just follow this advice, plan your spending and keep an eye on it, and perhaps even try to earn a little money of your own, and you should be able to enjoy student life with no worries!  Apart from that next essay deadline, perhaps.

Please visit http://www.cashgenie.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.cashgenie.co.uk/

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Posted in: Loans.

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